On November 7, 2012, Japan Embassy's Minister Shinsuke Shimizu attended a turnover ceremony of ‘Construction of Small-Scale Agriculture Facilities for Climate Change Adaptation' at Ezperanza, Sultan Kudarat . The project, amounting to US$ 399,263 (approximately 17 million pesos), is funded through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects, a small-grant funding program of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). The ceremony was attended by Ms. Helen T. Latog, Municipal Mayor, as well as First Secretary Kei Fukunaga and First Secretary Takayuki Nakagawa of the Embassy.
On November 8, 2012, another turnover ceremony of the said project was held in the other project site, Balabagan, Lanao Del Sur, attended by Mr. Fukunaga and Mr. Quirino Sampiano, vice-Mayor of the Municipality.
In both ceremonies, Ms. Kiyoko Takahashi, Program Officer, and Mr. Kosuke Nagino, Project Coordinator, from Oxfam Japan witnessed the ceremonies.
In the Municipality of Balabagan, six (6) post harvest facilities for cassava have been constructed, each equipped with a set of storehouse and cassava dryer. One (1) cassava grating machine has also been purchased and shared by farmers.
In the Municipality of Esperanza, three (3) post harvest facilities for rice and corn with a set of storehouse and dryer have been constructed as well as an irrigation canal stretching about one kilometer.
Through the project, the farmers in the Municipality of Esperanza can increase their crop production, and in both municipalities, the loss after the harvest can decrease. Thanks to these, the market access of the agricultural products and the farmers' income are expected to improve. As a soft component of the project, various trainings will be also conducted for the farmers so that they can properly manage and sustain the facilities all by themselves.
The Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects started in the Philippines in 2002. Since then, the Japanese Government has disbursed approximately 1 88 million pesos for a total of 2 9 projects in the Philippines. Japan believes that this project will strengthen not only friendship between the peoples of Japan and the Philippines but also the existing strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines.
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